Nurses' Attitudes About the Importance of Families in Nursing Care

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the attitudes of registered nurses (RNs) about the importance of involving families in nursing care. A sample of 634 randomly selected Swedish RNs completed the instrument, Families' Importance in Nursing Care—Nurses' Attitudes (FINC-NA), and reported holding supportive attitudes about families. High scores were found for the subscales: family as a resource in nursing care, family as a conversational partner, family as a burden, and family as its own resource. Variables that predicted a less supportive attitude about involving families in nursing care included being a newly graduated nurse, having no general approach to the care of families at the place of work, and being a male nurse.